I keep working my way back to you, Tron

I loved the movie Tron as a kid. The Christmas after the movie came out, I received all four of the action figures and two light cycles, and those were some of the funnest toys I ever had.

The light cycles took a ton of punishment. I would yank the rip-cord and lauch them off anything I could, from curbs to homemade bicycle ramps. They literally flew! And always with Tron, Flynn or Sark behind the "wheel."

Last year a sequel to the 1982 film was announced starring none other than Flynn himself, Jeff Bridges. Last Christmas I did a post on my favorite Christmas toys of all time and Tron was high on the list. I even downloaded Tron for my iPod a few months back. But I hadn't started tracking down the toys again, until now.

I recently bought this original Flynn off a fellow toy collector on a forum I frequent, and he is every bit as cool as I remember.

The greatest thing about the Tron action figure line was that all the figures were made of transluscent plastic. These guys catch the light in all sorts of cool ways, and their sculpts are quite detailed even though they have no paint applications on them besides the "light piping" to emulate the movie look.

He looks nothing like Jeff Bridges, but Flynn was unique in that he wore a toga or sash of some sort, which covered some of his glowing light details.

The sash is molded with cloth-like detail and the painted lines end where it begins, giving his action figure a unique look. He originally came with a glow in the dark discus, which I do not have.

Next up is the Warrior action figure. I got this guy off eBay for a couple bucks.

These guys acted more as guards in the film, but they have a menacing, storm-trooper type look to them which makes them look imposing and threatening and makes them great foils for Flynn and Tron.

The Warrior came with a glowing staff, which I also do not have. Ironically, when I got the figures as a kid, I somehow lost the Warrior's staff immediately after opening him (I think it got tossed out with the wrapping paper) so mine never had a staff, so if I never have one as I reacquire these guys I'm okay with that.

So as of now I have Flynn and the Warrior. I only need Tron and Sark to complete the small series. They were re-released by NECA a few years back, so I will someday get them in their originals or in the re-releases, I'm not picky. Until then, I can re-create the early moments in the film before Tron or Sark appear.

And here's hoping for some AWESOME figures from the upcoming sequel!

I'd Glady Blog This Tuesday but I'd Rather Blog Today.

I've posted a few of my Popeye action figures in the past, and have often claimed I would roll them all out someday. Well, that day has finally come. Behold!

Yup, that's everything. The only figures from the series I don't have are a repainted Popeye, Bluto and Olive Oyl as well as an exclusive (FAO Schwarz, I believe) three figure set of the trio in "black and white." But as for original/non-repaint figures, I have them all!

This Popeye series of action figures began it's run in the early 2000s. They started out available at Toys R Us where I found the first series (and maybe other places too,) and then became more and more difficult to obtain as the series continued on and finally ended around a third release (which was mostly repaints.) They were manufactured by Mezco Toys.

I worked hard tracking everyone down from this series, and a straggler or two took me a few years to finally acquire, but I did it and I am pretty proud of my Popeye collection - one of the finest series of action figures ever made in my honest opinion. So without further ado, let's run down the figures individually, shall we?

We'll start small. Swee'Pea was actually released as an accessory along with Olive...

...and repainted in a blue sleeper when released as an accessory along with Alice the Goon.

Eugene the Jeep was an accessory released with J. Wellington Wimpy.

The main man, Popeye the Sailor. This was the first Popeye released in series one, in his classic sea-faring outfit. Popeye has a waist-twist punch action feature ala classic MOTU action figures. His pipe and hat are removable, and he came with a bunch of accessories including an anchor, a can of spinach or two, a picture frame which reads "Me Pappy," a set of shark teeth...

...and a removable muscle (read: muskle) with a battleship tattoo.

A personal favorite, the series two featured Poopdeck Pappy. Pappy came with a treasure chest (which contained a can of spinach, natch) and a hammock. His hat and pipe are also removable.

Olive Oyl is a "bendy" figure and has a removable hat and a purse. Olive was released in series one. She also came with Swee-Pea and a heart-shaped picture frame with Popeye on one side and Bluto on the other. The Harlot!

J. Wellington Wimpy came with Eugene, a tray full of burgers, a couple loose burgers of various levels of consumption, and a meat grinder. Wimpy came out in series one.

Series one Bluto came with a barbell and 2000 lb. weight. He has an "upper-cut" punch feature when you lock his right arm back and click a button on his back.

One of the last original figures to be released and the rarest and hardest to come across is Alice the Goon. Alice came out in series three with a repainted Swee'Pea. Alice's hat is not removable.

The Sea Hag came out in series two, with her vulture Bernard and a magic flute accessory.

Pea Coat Popeye was inspired by the Robin Williams live action Popeye film. He came out in series one. His hat and pipe are removable and he has a "twisker fisk" feature - you wind his right fist up and it spins when you push a button. Pea Coat Popeye also came with a treasure map, a duffel bag...

...and a removable muskle tearing out from his coat sleeve.

Deep Dive Popeye from series three represents Popeye in a classic diving suit. His helmet is removable as are his lead shoes. He's even smoking a pipe under there! He came with a buoy and hose attachment as well as a treasure chest with spinach in it (repainted Pappy accessory.)

Scuba Bluto from series three came with removable scuba tanks and a knife and sheath that straps to his arm or leg.

Series two's Sailor Bluto came with a torpedo and a bomb. His action feature is the opposite of his "regular" release - his arm snaps back and swings downward, "throwing" his objects instead of an upper-cut motion.
Series two's Sailor Popeye came with one of the best accessories yet - a huge fist that can snap onto any Popeye figure. He also came with a U.S.N. bucket and mop. Of course, his hat and pipe are removable.

Bernard was released as an accessory (or companion) with the Sea Hag. he can be removed from his perch.

Finally we have Storm Gear Popeye from series two. Storm Gear Popeye came with a ship's wheel and piece of the deck, as well as a bent telescope with an eye bulging out of it and an octopus and star fish, and a can of spinach. His hat and pipe are removable.

Well, that's it, my entire Mezco Popeye action figure collection. Now to find a shelf upon which to display them all together.

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!" (Sorry, the bomb accessory was just too perfect - I couldn't resist!)

Solomon Grundy, Blogged on a Monday

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is (to no regular Toyriffic reader's surprise) my favorite show right now. The character highlights on the program are nothing short of encyclopedic, and the action figure line is following suit with many surprise additions, including this undead fellow here, Solomon Grundy!


Zombie Hitman Solomon Grundy, to be precise. How cool is that? A zombie, and a hitman!!! A great mash-up for a kid's toy if I do say so myself!


Solomon Grundy's action figure looks a little bit more menacing than his cartoon appearance, having more facial detail than the animated character design and a darker color scheme.


The sewn lips are there, a character trait unique to the Brave and the Bold Solomon Grundy. Does anyone know the significance of sewing someone's lips together? Is it a mob thing? UPDATE: The ever informative Reis from Geek Orthodox has informed me that sewing the lips shut is common burial practice to keep the mouth from falling open when rigor mortis fades.


Grundy comes with a cool Tommy Gun that his over-sized petrified hand can hold with the help of a small peg on the gun's handle.


The gun also has the hex-peg the Brave and the Bold action figures are notorious for, so it can be plugged into the holes on Solomon Grundy's arms and legs (as well as on the arms and legs of other Brave and the Bold action figures.) While most of these configurations will be avoided by us "adult collectors," stowing the gun into the hole in Grundy's back actually looks pretty cool.


"Gff afeffd, mffk mff dff!"


In an astounding turn of good luck for Mattel, Solomon Grundy's legs are intentionally sculpted in an inward twisted pigeon-toed fashion, so he'll fit right in with all your gimpy JLU figures!


Grundy is a great action figure for any Brave and the Bold fan and will be hard to resist when you see him on the toy aisles (if you can, you're a stronger man than me.) And how can any red blooded American parent resist giving their kid a Zombie Hitman for Batman to punch around?

I found him at Target, as part of the most recent release of Brave and the Bold singles. Target is charging $7.79 for him, not a bad price for such a bulky and unique figure.

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.

This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.

Ecto-1 is the loneliest number

I've been combing the Hot-Wheels aisles more than usual lately in anticipation of the 2010 New Model #25, aka Ecto-1 and it payed off tonight!

Ecto-1 is one beautiful Hotwheel!

All the detail of the modified '59 Cadillac ambulance are there, including all that crazy funky science equipment up top! There's also a lot of detail in the interior including proton packs etc.

Of course to keep it in the $1 price range, there are no paint details on the top component, but I am sure customizers could easily make it look movie accurate. I'm happy with it the way it is. This Ecto-1 has all the charm of a Hotwheel while being a great representation of the iconic Ghostbusters vehicle. I have an Ecto-1 A in 1:64 scale from Johnny Lightning made about a decade ago and it isn't as well scaled as this version. Maybe I can dig it out of storage soon and do a side by side.

What's this, the ghost of Dale Earnhardt?

Maybe. Actually it's another new Hotwheel, the previously released Stockar released for 2010 as part of the Race World sub-series. This version is keen because it's made of clear plastic - even the wheels and interior are clear! It has a few minor silver details and a metal base, and makes the perfect companion piece to the Ecto-1 because it looks like a ghost car. I t would also make a great Wonder Woman-mobile if one were so inclined.

Here's Ecto-1 next to the Matchbox '63 Cadillac Ambulance.

Ecto-1 is lower and longer but the same width as the '63, so it's probably a little more accurately scaled than the ambulance as well. I also love Hotwheels' five spoke wheels, and they look great on Ecto-1.


Okay enough fun...time to go to work! WeeWOOweeWOOweeWOO!

Ran-dumb Toys

My second-hand toy acquisitioning escapades lead to a lot of cool finds. They also lead to some pretty ridiculous finds.

Sometimes I end up with something odd because it was part of a pile of things I grabbed at the swap meet. Sometimes something weird just catches my eye or my fancy on a particular day. Sometimes something is so cheap (like a dime) that I'd be an idiot not to buy it on principle alone. And sometimes I think a random toyline I don't really collect should be represented in my collection as if every third-world nation in Toyriffic-dom needed an ambassador.

Both of these guys fall into the latter category. Meet ambassador Streex and Ambassador Throttle.


Streex represents the nation of Street Sharks and Throttle represents the independent commonwealth of Biker Mice from Mars.

Both Street Sharks and Biker Mice from Mars were mid nineties cartoon and toy series, obviously influenced by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but vastly less successful. (Note to blog visitor in the year 2025 who found this post via Google - no, I never would have believed in 2010 that a Street Sharks live action movie would ever happen.)

The Street Sharks were made by Mattel, and the Biker Mice were made by Galoob. Neither toy or cartoon caught my eye in the nineties (I was too busy watching Batman the Animated Series and Pinky and the Brain...and of course collecting Batman action figures.) But both have an odd coolness factor that begged inclusion in the United Nations of Toyriffic.

Uh oh, looks like talks have broken down. Better send in a DC Universe Classics figure to put these lowlifes back in their place!

Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!